Marvel's Uncanny X-Men relaunch seems poised to go down as one of the great comic book-related disappointments of 2018. Even after three issues, the series has done little to rectify the problems that have been apparent from the beginning. There's little sense of direction to the series beyond the rehashing of old tropes and a constantly revolving door of old characters making their return. It seems that the weekly format simply doesn't suit the X-Men as well as it has Spider-Man and the Avengers in the past.

When Marvel first revealed that this initial ten-issue storyline would be titled "X-Men Disassembled," the hope was that the execution would diverge a lot more from "Avengers Disassembled" than it actually has. This story follows the same basic pattern, with the X-Men facing overwhelming threats from all sides and a mysterious enemy working feverishly to bring the team to its knees. But for various reasons, none of the chaos and destruction carries much weight. The story never lingers on any one character long enough for the reader to form a strong connection. The best that can be said for the story is that it's at least become more digestible since issue #1 now that it has a more straightforward, linear structure. But "digestible" is still a long way from "compelling."

It's telling that the few scenes in issue #3 that do stand out are those that focus on a smaller cast of characters. Writers Matthew Rosenberg, Kelly Thompson and Ed Brisson use Legion to solid effect, showcasing just how fleeting his brush with respectability and stability truly is. This is a sign that the series really needs a smaller, more manageable cast of characters, rather than throwing almost every currently active X-Man into the mix.

Not helping matters is the fact that Marvel has pretty thoroughly spoiled this story through solicitations and announcements for 2019 books. That includes the identity of the "mystery" villain pulling all the strings. That only exacerbates a problem that would probably exist anyway. It shouldn't be taking so long for this character to reveal themselves. This series doesn't need three issues of empty spectacle and repetitive hints about what's coming for the X-Men. It needs to dive into the heart of the conflict and finally start establishing itself as something more than a bundle of familiar X-Men tropes.

Colossus and Juggernaut's Most Epic Battles

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Click through to read about four major battles between Colossus and Juggernaut in Marvel's X-Men comics.

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Click through to read about four major battles between Colossus and Juggernaut in Marvel's X-Men comics.

Colossus and Juggernaut's Most Epic Battles

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On top of everything else, the lack of a clear, dynamic visual identity is dragging the new series down. Issue 31 at least started on a fairly strong note in that regard, but without the likes of Mahmud Asrar or Mark Bagley driving the series, the art has taken a significant downturn. Yildiray Cinar's pencils and inks get the job done in this issue. There's just rarely any spark to the visuals. Particularly with the heavy lines at play, there's a flat, lifeless quality to many of the figures. Even the big action scenes don't bring much kinetic energy to the the page.

The Verdict

Uncanny X-Men got off to a bad start earlier this month, and the series has only gotten worse from there. This series has so far failed to generate any sense of identity or purpose, settling instead for empty spectacle and a massive cast of characters. The underwhelming visuals do nothing to set this series apart from the rest of the books in the X-Men line. And with Marvel having spoiled so many major story beats already, actually reading "X-Men Disassembled" is beginning to feel more like a formality than a necessity.